Sudan appreciates UN report on arms collection in Darfur

KHARTOUM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Wednesday welcomed a United Nations (UN) report which stressed that Sudan government's arms collection plan in Darfur led to improvement of security in the region.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the recent regular report of the UN Secretary-General on Darfur which included affirmation of stability of conditions in Darfur," said Sudan's Foreign Ministry in a statement Wednesday.

The statement said that the arms collection campaign conducted by the government in the region has led to stability and enhanced peace and security.

It reiterated that the government would continue cooperation and coordination with the United Nations- African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

It further stressed the importance of joint work to support the peace-building, development and rehabilitation operations in the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a recent report to the UN Security Council that he was optimistic over the result of the arms collection campaign launched by the Sudanese government.

He said the steps taken towards the disarmament of armed militias were promising and should continue in accordance with the provisions of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.

On Aug. 7, 2017, the Sudanese government launched a campaign for collecting arms and unlicensed vehicles in the Darfur region.

The government does not have official figures for the number of weapons owned by the civilians in Darfur, but UN statistics estimated it to be around 2 million pieces.

The Darfur region has witnessed an armed conflict between the Sudanese army and rebel groups since 2003, which has left around 300,000 people dead and nearly 2.5 million displaced. Enditem